Insect Life, August 2004My
attempts to photograph insects around the house are mostly failures.
Here are a few. The green mantis is common in the garden. This
pair of brown mantis on a fence was a surprise to me. The intense
morning sun washes out the background.

Here
is a nice photo of another praying mantis. A different color and
body shape.

This
large fellow was shifting around the inside of the mailbox as I reached
in to grab the contents. I gently lifted it out on the letters and
set up this shot to show you the size. It was remarkably large and
hairy.

The
same spider closer up and from underneath. This shot through a glass
table top actually turned out well. You can see an amazing amount of detail
brought out by the flash. Notice the two missing legs or stumps and
are those fangs? You be the judge.

This
is yet another mantis on a rose.

Large
caterpillar caught feeding on a tomato plant. Easily found after
seeing droppings and stems with the leaves missing.

This
large spider would spin a large web.

A
large spider posed on a cd and compact flash card.

No insects were harmed in the production of this webpage. Beauty
is in the eye of the beholder. And for me the ability to capture
minute details is a beautiful thing.